Glass and Gold
by ClosetFMAfan
Summary: When Mei Chang's father remarried, he tried to reassure his imaginative daughter that the evil stepmothers of her fairy tales didn't exist. His death proved himself wrong, however, and Mei was left a servant in her own household. She only wanted to attend Prince Ling's birthday ball to escape it for one night. She never expected to lose anything, heart or shoe. AlMei Cinderella AU.
1. Chapter 1

Morning was a despicable and evil thing.

Anyone who said differently could switch lives with her and see if they would still think so. They wouldn't. Unless they were one of those annoying perky types, then they might, and Mei would have to… do something horrible to them.

It was hard to come up with a good threat this early.

And, unfortunately for her, evil thoughts in the morning only tended to wake on up faster. Even though she had learned this lesson many times before, it still didn't stop her. The evil thoughts were just so satisfying…

Groaning, Mei pulled the blankets off from over her head and promptly replaced them with her arms. "Xiao Mei, I don't want to get up…" she wined to the ball of fur next to her. Her childhood (and only) friend didn't answer. "If I have to get up you do," Mei told the miniature panda angrily. Then she picked her up in two hands which enticed an angry barrage of chatter and growls.

"Come on, you spend most of the day sleeping anyways. You just nap in my pocket while I'm working, so you have no right to complain."

The panda shut up while Mei got dressed, but the expression on her face spoke clearly of exhaustion and annoyance.

"Come on," Mei said, scooping Xiao Mei into her pocket. "Lan Fan's coming home today. We've got to clean the place from head to toe and make a meal fit for the Empress she's going to be one day." It was a bit of a nasty joke, Mei calling her step-sister "Empress". The two had never gotten along, not since the day Mei's father remarried her step mother. Mei hadn't like the idea of her father remarrying from the moment he suggested it. She didn't want anyone else in their home, but her father had insisted that she have a mother to teach her how to be proper, something he apparently thought a little girl wanting to pursue the art of alkahestry lacked.

She knew what happened to girls who got step-mothers and sisters. They were awful and treated the step-daughter horribly. Her father assured her that that was just in the books she read and things like that didn't actually happen.

Yet it did.

Daiyu Shitang was a proper woman bent on making her way up the social cast to the very top and planned to do so through her only daughter. She had never cared for Mei much, only treating her with civility around her husband. Her heart was set on making her daughter Empress and Lan Fan, a dutiful daughter, wanted nothing more than to make her mother happy. If that meant hours spent relearning how to walk or learning new languages or whatever it may entail, then so be it.

It was after her father's death that Daiyu was finally rid of Mei. Before her father was even buried, she was assigned a position as a servant, given a small box with a roof and a mat for a bed as her room, and given her new set of instructions on how to cook and clean floors.

With one obstacle out of the way, Daiyu began to ruthlessly pursue her ultimate goal. Within a week of her husband's funeral she managed to get Lan Fan sent to the palace as a play mate for the young Prince. He had few compatriots and even fewer friends. Much to Daiyu's delight, the Prince took a liking to her quiet and proper daughter despite his loud boisterous attitude. They became fast childhood friends and he sometimes came over to their house to roll around in the mud with Lan Fan.

Only a year or two ago, Lan Fan had left the providence to pursue studies elsewhere. Both the Prince and Lan Fan were sad upon her departure, and she tried to argue that leaving could not be very helpful in their attempt to have him finally fall in love with and eventually marry her. Daiyu assured her daughter that absence would make the heart grow fonder, and so she left.

And she was coming back today.

Joy.

Mei had spent the past few days making sure the entire home was absolutely sparkling for their "future ruler". She would probably spend the entire day working on her welcoming feast and would probably have to serve it as well. Her step-family seemed to take some sort of pleasure from seeing her act a servant. She had no idea why, but it was normally safer to just follow along with what they said.

Braiding her hair with practiced ease, Mei twisted it up into a pair of buns and slipped a cloth over her head. Cooking time.

* * *

"How was it, my dear?"

"It was wonderful," Lan Fan answered happily, biting into Mei's carefully prepared dumplings. "I've learned so much. Oh mother, they have the most wonderful ideas about—"

"That's is good. I think you will be happy to know the Prince has not married or entered a relationship with any women during your absence."

"I heard. I am glad," she said, sounding a little defeated. Then her face brightened. "Perhaps I will be able to see him sometime. It is his birthday soon."

"Good thinking my dear. We will have to invite him over, perhaps. I will look into what celebrations may be happening in celebration. That would probably be a better first meeting. You could show off all your new knowledge by being presented in court, oh, Lan Fan that would be so charming."

"Of course, Mother."

Lan Fan looked down at the table and continued to eat quietly. Mei waited dutifully at the door from the kitchen to the dining room. She would have loved to slip into the kitchen and relax in there while they ate their meal, but if she wasn't there when either of them called her… she would be punished. It really wasn't worth it.

Then again, if was Daiyu's punishments on other servants that allowed Mei to really practice her alkahestric studies. Father had never been approving, but she had managed to learn quite a bit from the books in the library, which she had continued to smuggle. It wasn't like anyone in this house would miss them except the servants who knew what she was doing and supported her as long as she practiced healing on them after punishments.

"Mei!"

She moved forward quickly and poured more juice into Daiyu's cup then took her place back in the doorway.

She sighed as quietly as she could.

* * *

"Did you really enjoy it?" Mei asked Lan Fan later as she helped her get ready for bed. Why were there so many layers to Xingese clothing? No wonder noblemen always hired so many servants. They would need them to get dressed and undressed in less than an hour. And even with help it might take that long.

"I did," she answered back. "It was very… enlightening."

"And did you think of the Prince often?"

"Yes, I did. Why do you ask?" Mei shrugged before realizing that because she was behind Lan Fan, she wouldn't be able to see the gesture.

"Mild curiosity," she answered eventually. "And an attempt to combat the silence."

"Oh. Well yes. I thought of him very often. Do you know… has he ever said anything about me?"

Mei frowned. Why would she think she would know anything about that?

"He stopped by the first week or so after you left and asked where you had gone. He was rather indignant about you having to leave at all. He seemed to think that you were fine as you were." Mei thought that the words would comfort her step-sister, but they only seemed to make her stiffen.

"You talked to him?"

"… No. Step-mother did. She assured him that you would be back as soon as your training was done."

"Oh. Do you think that he will be… less attracted to me because of my training?"

"I don't know." Who knew with Prince types like that? But Mei wasn't very surprised by her sister's questions. Lan Fan was just as obsessed with catching a Prince as Daiyu.

There was silence as Mei finished brushing her hair and laid it down her back.

"I'm finished."

"Very well. Goodnight, Chang."

"Goodnight, Empress."

* * *

"And one more thing, my sons."

Prince Alphonse Elric straightened from his low bow, frowning slightly. Next to him, his brother Crown Prince Edward Elric did likewise.

"What, Father?" Al asked King Hohenheim quickly, knowing that if Ed was the one who asked he would probably end up offending Father… again. Which would start a fight that would upset Mother and right before they left…

"While you two are in Xing, I need you both to keep your eyes open."

"For what?" Ed asked.

"A bride."

"… what?"

"You know relations with Xing are… fragile."

"Prince Ling has been our close friend since we were children—"

"Friendships are easily broken. I need you both to be on look out for a young woman that you would consent to marry. You must capture the heart of and marry some young and important Xingese flower. I am giving you the chance to choose a bride among Emperor Feng's court. Obviously it would be preferable if you were to find a bride, Edward, but if you happen to fall madly in love, Alphonse, that would be more than fine."

"And what if we were to not?" Ed asked, golden eyes flashing.

"Then I shall choose a Xingese bride for you."

Both of their jaws dropped. "But Father—"

"That is the end of the discussion. You should be glad I am giving you this chance to choose."

Ed's fist were tightly curled into fists and Al stepped forward and slightly in front of his brother to hold him back. "Father, is this really necessary? Relations with Xing are stronger than they've been in years."

"Exactly. We do not want it to fall apart. If one of you were to marry one of the Xingese royal family, or even a noble, it would show that our ties are strong and here to say. Your children will be evidence of this."

"But what good will it do if we are forced into this marriage? It will hardly show good feelings between our countries if we were to hate each other."

"It is of course preferable for you to find a Xingese maiden yourself."

"But Father—"

"Come on, Al," Ed growled. "It's no good arguing with him. He's not going to listen to anything we have to say anyways."

"Edward—"

"Just shut up, old man."

"Edward!" But Ed completely ignored his father's reprimand, turning around on his heel and stalking out of the room. Al glanced back at his brother, cast his father an apologetic look, and then hurried after him.

Ed was already storming down the hallway towards their carriage.

"Ed!" The blond ignored him. "Ed, will you slow down, I have to go to Xing too!"

He didn't catch up to his brother until they were climbing into the carriage together. "You should at least say goodbye."

"I have nothing to say to him," Ed snapped back. "And I already said goodbye to mom."

"Ed."

"I've said all I intend to, Alphonse." Al snorted and crossed his arms.

"Do you realize how much that made you sound like him?" he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

Al sighed. "Nothing, Brother."

They traveled mostly in silence, weaving through the streets of town before they reached the outskirts. Al was fully prepared to lean back and try to take a nap while they made the journey through the desert to Xing, when they slowed down and then stopped.

"Ed?"

Ed didn't answer, just climbing out. Al straightened. There wasn't anything wrong was there…?

He was just about to get out of the carriage and find out what was going on himself when the door opened and Ed climbed back in… with someone else.

"Hi, Al," the blond said happily.

"… Hi, Winry… what are you doing here?"

"She's coming with us," Ed answered, scooting far enough in that Winry would have room to sit next to him and her toolbox.

"Why?"

"Because Winry's always wanted to see Xing and I figured Ling wouldn't mind if I brought her."

"What about… what Dad said…"

Ed turned bright red. "I don't see what Winry has to do with that."

"… right," Al said slowly.

The coachman took off and they once again moved on for Xing.

"What did your father say?" Winry asked curiously.

Ed turned red and looked away, out the window.

Al looked at Winry's open face and Ed's determined one and sighed.

"Apparently, I have to find bride."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! And this is actually the last chapter that I still had to write! The rest of it is already all written up, so it's basically just me deciding when to upload it :D YAY!**

* * *

Mei was drawing alkahestry arrays with soap on the floor when her step-mother arrived back.

There was no use in using chalk if she was going to have to clean up that after having just used alkahestry to clean the floor.

Of course, she would never let her step-mother know that she often cleaned the floors thusly. As long as Daiyu thought that she actually took three hours to scrub the marble by hand, then she would get three hours to scrub the marble by hand. Then when Mei cleaned the floor in a grand total of a few minutes, she would get the rest of the hours to disappear into the library or her room to study the books.

Luckily, she hadn't activated the array when her step-mother came back. It wasn't quite distinguishable as an array yet. Mei hadn't placed her knives (a tricky business when working on marble, she could assure anyone who was curious) and a quick scrub made it look like the soap was all a part of her cleaning process.

"Lan Fan! Lan Fan!" Daiyu shrieked as she hurried right across the floor. If Mei had actually been cleaning the floor by hand, it would have ruined a good hour of work.

"Mother?" Lan Fan said, emerging from one of the rooms.

"Your chance. I have it! It's a miracle I found out about it in time!"

"What, Mother?"

"A ball! A ball celebrating the Prince's birthday!"

"A ball?"

"Yes, stupid girl," Daiyu snapped. "A ball. I cannot believe I haven't heard of this earlier! Only the finest of Xing will attend. I heard that there will even be visiting Princes from Amestris!"

Mei raised an eyebrow. That was interesting. Though she had heard rumors that the Prince had made friends with the Amestrian Princes on his diplomatic trip to their country a few months ago.

She wondered if they would know anything about alchemy. Apparently it was very similar to alkahestry.

"—and all the royal alkahestrists will be attending as well—"

"Wait, what?" Daiyu stiffened, probably not even having realized that Mei was in the room. She turned and gave Mei an intense glare.

"What?"

"What did you say about the royal alkahestrists attending?"

"They will also be there. Why does it matter to you?"

Mei stared back at her, quickly debating her options at this point. She could try to press for more information… but no. Not when she got that look in her eyes. Perhaps she'd be able to get some more information on her own.

"It doesn't, Step Mother. It merely caught my attention," she said eventually, bowing her head.

"That's right."

* * *

Mei Chang was jealous of her step-sister.

This had never happened in the history of their relationship! One might think that she would be jealous of her sister, considering that Lan Fan had every care cared for while Mei was reduced to servitude. But she really did not envy her in the slightest. What with all the pressure Daiyu put on her… and Mei thought she would go crazy trying to wed herself to the Prince of their nation. If Lan Fan's descriptions were correct, he was hardly the composed leader that everyone assumed he must be.

So no, Mei had never been jealous of Lan Fan.

But she was now.

Even if they wished to attend the ball for completely different reasons, Mei couldn't help but want to go as well. All the Royal Alkahestrists? She would kill for the opportunity to talk to them for any length of time. They were the best in the nation! The chance to talk to them…

Another dress was thrown her direction. Mei just quickly picked it up and added it to the pile of discards.

Daiyu was approving a dress for Lan Fan to wear to the ball.

"Try the blue one again."

"I have tried to blue one on three times already, Mother."

"It looks good on you. Perhaps with some adjustments… we could get an Amestrian brassiere and fill it to increase your bust size."

"Mother!"

"Do you want the Prince to be attracted to you or not?" she asked sharply, eyes flashing.

"… Yes."

"Then it is settled. I know someone who will be able to provide us one."

"Yes, Mother."

"Good. Now try the blue one again."

"Yes, Mother."

They eventually did not pick the blue one. They picked a black and red one that actually looked quite good on Lan Fan. It was a tasteful mix between old and newer styles that still managed to look formal. Lan Fan especially liked it because it had enough folds for her to hide a knife or two in.

After they picked a dress, Mei began to work on preparing Lan Fan for the ball. Even though it wasn't for another few hours, and Daiyu was very much in favor of Lan Fan arriving fashionably late, she demanded that Lan Fan begin her preparations now. Her hair was washed two or three times in different oils and then hung straight to dry. Her eyes were carefully lined with black and her eye lids shadowed with a red that matched the dress. Then Mei had to painstakingly pin up her hair with a dozen different dangling pendants.

She was thoroughly annoyed by the time she helped Lan Fan get into her dress. The ties in the back were impossible to tie. Luckily for Lan Fan, the dress was more closely fitted to her size, which ruined Daiyu's plan with the brassiere. Even so, she still had Mei pull the back of the dress as close together as possible to emphasize Lan Fan's slim but strong build.

Finally, Mei was done.

Lan Fan stared at herself in the mirror, laying a hand at her throat were a ruby on a chain rested at the hollow.

"I look so different from when I left… do you think he'll be able to recognize me?"

"How could he forget you?" Mei asked, trying hard not to sound annoyed.

"He deals with the courtiers and the finest ladies in all of Xing. How could he remember me?"

"You're a hard person to forget, Lan Fan."

Lan Fan paused and turned around to face Mei.

"Thank you…" Mei blinked. She hadn't exactly meant it as a compliment. In fact… the opposite. "For calling me Lan Fan."

"Oh. Right."

Mei shuffled awkwardly in the silence before reaching out to adjust one of the pendants in her hair.

"Well. You'd best be off, or you're going to be late. And we don't want that now do we?"

Lan Fan actually smiled before standing up and exiting the room.

"I think Lan Fan's been possessed by a spirit," Mei told Xiao Mei, who was curled in her pocket like usual.

The panda gave her a smile that was a little too… knowing for Mei's comfort.

* * *

Well, going through all those dresses didn't exactly come without a price.

A price that Mei was going to have to pay while they were off at the ball snagging a Prince.

Perhaps there was a reason Prince was only one letter off of Price.

Mei sighed heavily as she gathered up all of the dresses and placed them in a large basket that she would keep them in while she waiting to get to a point where she could wash them.

She really didn't care that much about the ball.

Sure it'd be nice to meet some handsome stranger there like in one of the fairy tales she used to read. Perhaps they'd even dance for a while and he'd ask for her kiss before she left. Then she would disappear and he would never hear from her again, but always remember her in his dreams and wonder about what could have been—

She really didn't care that much.

She really wanted to talk with the alkahestrists. That would be an opportunity she would never be able to get again!

"You don't have to stay behind."

Mei jumped when she heard the voice.

"Excuse me?" She asked out loud, looking up from her laundry and around in confusion. Where had that voice come from? "Who are you?"

"Me!" the small voice said. "Down here!" Mei looked all around but she couldn't find anyone or anything but Xiao Mei who was looking at her with an annoyed expression.

"…who?"

"Me!" Xiao Mei started chattering angrily and Mei frowned at her. Then she opened her mouth again and started yelling. "Come on, I finally get to the point where I'm contractually obligated to talk and you don't even realize it is me!"

Mei chose the appropriate response of squeaking and jumping back several feet, dropping the basket in the process. If anything this made the panda more irritable.

"Come on," she snapped, brushing down her fur and running over to Mei. "Are you going to pick me up or not?"

"Who… what are you?"

"I'm a fairy."

"A… a fairy?"

"Yes, I'm a fairy. Will you please just pick me up already?" Mei hesitantly reached down and picked the panda up, holding her in cupped hands. "I was assigned to you at birth. Most parents sign the contract without even knowing what they're signing. Usually fairies, or as you humans seem to call us, fairy godmothers, watch over our charges as small sentimental objects like baby blankets or an old stuffed animal. I was lucky enough to come to you in this animal form because of how late I got signed on. Your father didn't sign the contract until a little before his death."

"So you're… practically my fairy godmother?" A fairy godmother? Those only existed in stories, didn't they?

"I_ am_ your fairy godmother, sweetheart."

Mei frowned. "Then what did you mean by 'You don't have to stay behind'? Are you going to use magic to let me go to the ball?"

"Geez, you humans," Xiao Mei grumbled. "You're always trying to use magic to your own greedy advantage. Yes, I am here to make your dreams come true and right now that means and or includes making sure you get to that ball." Mei's ears almost visibly perked up and her eyes started shining.

"You mean you can—"

"Yes, yes, yes I can make it so you can go to the ball. Dress, shoes, carriage, the whole package. But as no one better than an alkhestrist would know, everything comes with a price. Fortunately for you, I get to choose the price you'll have to pay. Since I'm not planning on doing anything too fancy, probably pumpkin for a carriage or something like that, I content myself to two simple rules.

"Number one: It's all going away at midnight. And number two: you have to give me all the details. I know this one fairy godmother who did almost this same exact thing and the girl didn't tell her a thing! Just went around humming for days until her prince found her, I mean come on, manners!"

Mei understood about three parts of this speech. She was going to the ball as fine as anyone else, she would have to be back by midnight, and she had better hope her sister and mother would be too tired to boss her around too much tomorrow. From the looks of it she was going to have a very long night telling Xiao Mei about what had happened.

"You understand?" the fairy/panda said irritably. Mei nodded enthusiastically. "Good. You'd better prepare yourself cause this is gonna get wild."

* * *

**Xiao Mei is a sassy fairy godmother XD I've always imagined that if Xiao Mei could talk she'd be really sassy**


	3. Chapter 3

**FINALS WEEK. I'M GOING TO DIE. I'M GOING TO DDDDDDDDDIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Hopefully, in the meantime though, I hope you can enjoy this chapter :)**

* * *

Prince Alphonse Elric of Amestris was very annoyed.

It had nothing to do with the fact that his brother had disobeyed and disregarded their father's specific orders by bringing his secret girlfriend to a public ball in which they were supposed to be finding women among the Xingese court to fall in love with and marry leaving him the only one to fulfill that duty, no it did not.

The punch was bitter. It was affecting his mood.

He glared, somewhat reproachfully and somewhat jealously at his brother, the only other male blond in the room who was twirling around expertly with the only female blond in the room. Everyone else had long black hair and dark eyes that looked almost black. As if he needed another thing to set him apart from everyone else, he had worn his best clothes. Everyone else was wearing their best clothes too, but the definition of what "best clothes" entailed was very different.

It also didn't help that, being brutally honest—NOT rude liked Ed said—none of the girls he was supposed to be "falling in love with and marrying" were… interesting. Not to him. They were all very accomplished at music, manipulation, politics, manipulation, grace, but they just didn't inspire him. If he had to marry a woman for an alliance he would at least like her to be interesting to talk to.

And as if all of this needed an icing to the cake, his (highly annoying) friend Ling, also known as the Crown Prince of Xing, knew exactly what they had been ordered to do and had made many jokes about the situation and taken every opportunity available to tease him about it.

Speaking of which… Al hurried in the other direction. Ling had directly caught his eye and started heading towards him.

After pulling a number of elaborate turns and trajectories to the entrance of the ballroom, he was about to congratulate himself on having successfully avoided the annoying Prince when he literally collided with a young woman just entering. She didn't fall, but she did trip and stumble. There was a light tinkling and he saw one shoe fall off her foot.

She opened her mouth, probably to curse at him and his ancestors (a very serious curse to the Xingese) when he cut her off.

"Would you like to dance?" Even Ling wouldn't interrupt to talk to him if he was dancing with someone. Even with all the teasing, Ling actually did really like the idea of Al marrying a Xingese woman, mostly because it meant that he wouldn't have to marry an Amestrian. If he saw him dancing with this woman…

Girl, he amended when he took a better look at her. She looked like she was 19 or so, so almost a woman but not quite. She was very pretty, though half of her face was covered with a small mask. He could still see her large dark eyes through it and her long dark hair was piled up into a crown of braids. The skin that he could see, which was mostly just her face, neck, and hands, was pale and smooth.

"Excuse me?"

"Dancing. In the middle of the dance floor. Together. Would you like to?" She stared at him in confusion. Rightly so, he had to realize. After all she had just walked in the door and he had knocked her over and immediately asked her to dance.

"Um, okay. Yeah, sure. I'd be delighted," she answered finally. "But let me get my shoe first."

"Allow me," he said trying to correct his faux pas. He bent down on his knees and grabbed the glass shoe. She reached out for it and he in turn reached for her foot. Blushing, she held it out and lifted her skirt high enough for him to slip the shoe onto her foot.

"Now, do you want to dance?"

Something about him offering to fetch and put on her shoe had made her more affable towards him, and she gladly placed her hand on his arm as he led her towards the middle of the floor. Al glanced behind them and noticed with a smirk Ling watching them with an incredulous look on his face.

"May I know the name of my captor?" she asked, placing her hand on his shoulder as he put his on her waist.

"My name is Alphonse," he answered, smiling as he grabbed her hand and took a step forward. She matched in perfectly.

"And you're Amestrian?"

"How could you tell? I was so certain I fit in!" She laughed and he smiled. She had a nice laugh. "Seriously," he continued in the same tone, "tell me what gave it away! The hair? I could shave it off…"

"No!" she laughed. "I don't think you would look very good as a bald. It was the way you're wearing your sleeves. No respectable Xingese man would wear sleeves with plain gold cufflinks. They would have to have some jewel on them. I didn't even notice the hair," she joked back. He laughed this time.

"What about you?" he asked, smiling. "What's the name of my prisoner?"

"That's not really important is it?" she asked slyly. He twirled her around and she was smiling when she swung back into his arms. "What are you doing here? Xing doesn't get too many Amestrian visitors." He noted the change in subject, but didn't comment.

"I have a friend here. My father— It's been a long time since I've seen him. He invited me and my brother to Prince Ling's birthday party."

"Who's your friend?"

Dangit.

"Uh… Prince Ling? We've been friends since we were— well, since I was fourteen."

Al bit his lip after saying this. He wasn't sure how she was going to react to the information. He was practically saying "I'm close friends with the future leader of our country! You want to tango next?" Thankfully she only faltered slightly her step.

"You're serious?"

"Unfortunately. I don't know if you know this, but he's pretty annoying."

"So you must be pretty important," she said, not reacting to his comment. "If you're childhood friends with the Prince…"

"Uh… yeah. I'm actually… Prince Alphonse Elric, is my full title."

"… Prince."

"Yeah." Al almost wished his hand wasn't entwined with hers so that he could cross his fingers. _Please don't start trying to seduce me or anything,_ he begged silently. It's happened enough tonight.

"So are you going to be taking the throne or…"

"No, I'm not going to. My older brother Ed is going to inherit it, unless something were to happen to him. Which I would really prefer not to happen. I love my brother." Even if he can be extremely annoying sometimes.

"Is he here?"

"He's the only other blond male in the room," Al answered nodding towards where his brother was still dancing with Winry, completely unaware of the other vultu— girls watching him. Now that he was looking around he noticed a few women giving his partner the evil eyes as well. If she reacted to form though, she wouldn't be around to stay competition. Ed probably wouldn't look twice at her.

"You should be happy."

… That wasn't according to prose.

"That you love your brother so much. The royal family of Xing holds a lot of animosity towards each other. With so many children it's not too hard to believe. It's rumored that a few of the royals try to hide their children so that they can avoid being assassinated before they can take the throne. I think they're just rumors though, most of them would rather stay as close to the Emperor as possible. I don't think the idea of family love has ever occurred to any of them."

"That's not true," Al argued. "Ling's actually talked to me about this once— and please don't ever tell anyone in court about this because he was very depressed, fifteen, and very vulnerable. One of his brother's had just tried to kill him. Not personally, but there was no denying that his brother was responsible. It was only because of my brother and his guard's quick work that it didn't work. Ed had to have almost immediate medical care." She was watching him with interested eyes, prompting him to continue.

"I found him in a tree, hiding from everyone else. He didn't want them to see him cry. He was in tears because he wanted to have a brother that he loved as much as I love Ed. It was pretty heart-breaking."

She didn't respond, just looked thoughtful.

"What about you? You'd have to be a member of the court to get invited—" The corners of her mouth twitched slightly. "—but you were surprised when I said I was friends with Ling which means you aren't too high up. Are you far enough away from the madness to have a relationship with your family?"

"Unfortunately no. Both of my parents died and I live with my step-mother and sister. I hate my step-mother with a passion. Sometimes my step-sister can be bearable and I can almost think about considering the possibility that we might ever be friends, but then she'll do something to make me want to hate her all over again."

"That's unfortunate," Al answered. "I don't know what I'd do if I hated my brother. I get annoyed with him certainly, I get annoyed with him a lot—"

"Are you annoyed with him right now?" she asked, cutting him off. He looked at her in confusion before smiling and nodding.

"How could you tell?"

"The way you said it. What did he do this time?"

"It's like you already know us," he muttered before answering. "My father's been worried about Xingese relations for a while. One of the orders he gave us before we came here was to make an effort to, and I quote, 'Capture the heart of and marry some young and important Xingese flower.'"

"Ah. Is that why you asked me to dance?" she asked, looking almost as weary as Al had felt when he thought that she was going to try to seduce him.

"No actually. Ling was trying to talk to me, either about food or a woman he danced with and I knew he wouldn't dare come within five feet of me if I was dancing with a very pretty lady." She blushed slightly.

"Well I'm happy you chose me as your scapegoat."

"I'm glad I chose you too. This had been the most fun I've had all night."

There was a brief silence as they finished the last few steps of the dance. When the music ended they both began to clap with the other couples. She bowed to him and he did likewise. Then she smiled and began to move away to find someone else to dance with. Almost of its own violation, Al's hand shot out and caught her arm.

"Another dance? Please?"

She stopped and stared at his hand on her arm, then at the large clock, and back at his hand again. Then she raised an eyebrow and he blushed, letting go of her arm. "Please."

"Okay," she said finally, biting her lip.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "I wasn't joking when I said this was the most fun I've had all night. Seriously, dancing with you has been the highlight." She blushed again. "So what do you like to do with your free time? I'm guessing you do all of the basics: music, politics, art…"

"Actually I'm an alkahestrist," she said, biting her lip again. She was really cute when she did that.

"Seriously?"

"I know," she blushed. "It's not really 'For Girls', and most of them aren't interested in it, but—"

"No, I think that's amazing!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm an alchemist myself. It's similar to alkahestry, but we use tectonic energy instead of life force. I'd be fascinated to learn more about it. Would you mind?"

"No," she answered, smiling genuinely. "It would be an honor and a pleasure. It's really quite simple, actually. The whole principle and hinge on which alkahestry swings in the Dragon's Pulse."

"What's that?"

She frowned slightly and looked down, obviously thinking. "Can we go outside? I think it might be easier to explain it out there."

He nodded and moved his hand from her slim waist to the small of her back and started helping her to escape the crowd of dancers. If it had been anyone else she would have felt patronized, but the way in which he did it— so innocently and honestly— was more sweet than childish. They wiggled their way through the people until coming to the garden that was connected to the ball room.

"Do we come out here to escape the dancers, or because there's a real purpose to coming here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as she made a beeline for a bench located under a tree.

"There's a real purpose. That much_ qi_ around us… it would make things difficult to explain." The confused look on his face must have amused her because she started laughing.

"I'm sorry, I just realized how confusing this must be for you. Not many outsiders are familiar with the principle of _qi_ in the first place."

"No, I really have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sorry. _Qi_ is… it's like you said when we were dancing._ Qi_ is life. Every living thing has it. No one's quite sure whether it is the _qi_ that makes you alive or if being alive is why you have _qi_, but you will never find a living organism without its own signature. Even the tiniest germ."

Al nodded, ready to commit all of her information to memory.

"And all of the_ qi_ connects together. It comes from the mountains and flows through the forests and the animals. Though you, through me… Knowing how to recognize these pathways and use them is what makes alkahestry unique." He nodded thoughtfully.

"And there. I sense it."

"… I'm sorry, what?" he asked, cocking his head. What did she mean "she sensed it"?

"You have to sense it to be able to use it. So go ahead. It helps if you do this," she said, pointing at her temples sharply.

"… Once again, I'm sorry?"

Two hours later led them to fighting between the urges to laugh until their sides hurt and yelling in anger and frustration. She couldn't figure out how to explain it to him so that he could understand it and he couldn't understand a word of what he was supposed to be doing.

"You have to sharpen your senses!"

"I told you, I can't!"

"Yes you can!"

"Explain it more academically!"

"You have to go whomp!"

"I don't know what you mean!"

Finally she made a command decision and started laughing. He joined in a few moments later.

"I don't think I could get this through your skull in a year, let alone one night!"

He laughed a little, heart beating faster than normal, and not just because of the laughing. "Is that an offer?"

"What?"

"Is that an offer? Taking a year to get it through my skull? Because I'd be willing to let you do it." The smile stopped and she stared at him, blinking incomprehensively. Then her eyes widened slightly.

"You want—"

Then the bell rang out. It was the first strike of midnight. She stopped mid-sentence and turned chalk white.

"No, no, no, no…"

"Oh." Al tried to smile but his lips weren't really into it, let alone his eyes. "That's fine, if you don't want to. I understand…"

"No, that's not what I—" she tried to say but the bell rang again and she glanced at it worriedly. "I want to it's just…" She bit her lip again and Al had to look away.

Then she did something Al had not been expecting.

At all.

The small Xingese girl pulled his head towards her, which in and of itself was bold and risky. Then she smashed her lips against his.

Al's eyes widened and he felt his heart almost stop. For sure his eyes lost focus which was the reason he didn't notice her running through the garden and away from the palace after she pulled away.

"Wait! Come back!" He shouted, standing up and running after her. He saw her glance back at him before she sped up. What was going on? Why did she just kiss him and then run away? Why was she running away at all?

"Come back!"

He saw her trip and immediately felt bad for the thrill of joy he felt. That trip could be what slowed her down enough to catch her. He was pretty fast himself.

But apparently she was still faster because after picking herself up she continued to run and managed to make it into the thick crowds of people on the streets a good distance in front of him.

"No…"

The people were staring at him, some in confusion, some just plain curiosity. Al nodded at them then turned around and walked back up the path. There was no hope whatsoever of actually being able to find her in the crowd she had disappeared into, even in her dress. They were just too crowded. Not for the first time, Al cursed the nature of Xingese streets.

He wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't been staring so intently at the ground.

A shoe.

Her glass shoe.

The exact one he had put on her foot.

"Hey Alphonse!" an annoying chirpy voice said and Al didn't need to look up to know that the Prince of Xing was approaching him. He paid him no attention, instead bending down and picking the shoe up.

"I saw you coming out her with that girl… so who is she? Is she the one? Come on Al, you've got to give me info!"

"… I'm going to find her."

Ling blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"I'm going to find her," Al said again, looking up with a determined blaze in his eyes. "Even if I have to fit this shoe on every single woman in Xing, I'm going to figure out who she was."

Back ramrod straight, Al marched away from the Prince who was staring at him blankly.

"You mean she didn't even give you her name?"

* * *

**If you think you're going to be polite by not sending me a review so that I can focus on my studying so that I can get a good grade on my finals and therefore the class (I have to get 100% on my chem final if I have any hope of getting an A in the class... so... no hope at all but...)... don't.**

******Distractions welcome.**

**Be rude. Send a review. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Mei jerked herself awake again as the smell of something burning reached her nostrils. Swearing under her breath in three different languages, she quickly turned off the fire and tried to pull the small biscuit bread out of the pan.

"She's going to kill me," Mei muttered under her breath as she set it on a plate next to some rice and some dumplings with eggs. Xiao Mei crawled into the pocket of Mei's apron and curled up as small as she could so that she wouldn't be noticed.

"I blame you," she told the panda viciously. It was her fault that Mei was so tired. Even though she had gotten home at 12:30 when she was finally sure that a) Alphonse hadn't followed her b) no one had noticed her ball attire disappear like magic and c) that she could sneak back into the house unnoticed, she still would have been exhausted. But she had honored her agreement with her 'fairy god mother' and told her everything that had happened. What with her yelling, whooping, and cheering, it was a miracle that the entire house didn't wake up let alone that she got a whole hour of sleep before she had to work.

"You agreed to it, sweetheart," Xiao Mei muttered just loud enough for Mei to hear. Smiling a little, Mei pushed the door open and made her way upstairs to Lan Fan's room. Normally her step-sister would already be up and running laps or something, but considering it was the ball last night, Mei wasn't surprised that she had sent a request for breakfast to be brought to her in her room that morning. It wasn't all that surprising to Mei that she had also requested (ordered) her to be the one to bring it.

"I hope you're decent," Mei said out loud when she reached the correct door and pushed it open. Lan Fan was, as Mei predicted, curled up in her large bed surrounded by cushions and blankets.

"Oh thank goodness, I'm starving."

"Dumplings, eggs, rice, and that biscuit bread we got from Amestris," Mei announced as she put the plate down in front of her. Amestris…

"Two Amestrain Princess were there at the ball last night," Lan Fan said matter-of-factly. "They were both very handsome, blond hair and golden eyes. I didn't know Amestrains had gold eyes."

"Only the royal family has gold eyes, most citizens have blue," Mei muttered under her breath. It was one of those small facts that she had only remembered after the fact. His golden eyes should have been a dead tip off to her at the beginning who the man she was dancing with was, but she had been too carried away by… him.

"Well neither of them danced much. Well, that's not true, the older one, Edward who's going to inherit the throne, only danced with one girl the entire time, and someone he had brought with him from Amestris too." Mei smiled slightly as she remembered the look on Alphonse's face when he had pointed his brother out.

"The other one, Alphonse—" Mei heart skipped a beat and she frowned again. She had only met him yesterday. They had known each other for less than three hours. Honestly what was she thinking when she kissed him last night? "—he danced with a few girls, not me, but after one dance he escaped to the garden with her and then disappeared for the rest of the night! I wonder what they were doing together and who she was. She's certainly lucky, I heard Prince Alphonse is a very intelligent and nice man."

He is.

"The Young Lord though, he was exactly how I remembered him. I was afraid that going away for so long would make him a different person and we wouldn't be able to connect any more but it was just like before. He was so nice and playful… Mei, be honest, do you think there's any chance of him actually wanting to marry me?"

"I don't know, Lan Fan," Mei answered tiredly. She wanted to go to bed so badly… "I've never really met him nor seen you around him."

"Yes but do you think that he could possibly—"

The door banged open so loudly both girls jumped almost a foot in the air and both raised their knives prepared to attack. Daiyu growled viciously.

"Put those knives away! I have amazing news!"

"What is it?" Lan Fan asked, slipping the knife back under the pillow as Mei tucked hers up her sleeves.

"Prince Alphonse of Amestris, the second Prince mind you, is looking for a Xingese bride! Last night he met a woman at the ball and he fell madly in love with her!" Mei thought her heart stopped. "She left one of her shoes behind and now he's traveling to every house with even the slightest connection to the royal family looking for her!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lan Fan asked, frowning after a few seconds. Mei would have asked the question herself, but she was having a hard time getting her mouth to work. Or her eyes. Or her lungs. Or her heart for that matter.

"Idiot!" Daiyu chastised and Lan Fan lowered her head in shame. "It means that this is your opportunity! Lan Fan, if you can convince the prince that you are the woman he's looking for he will marry you! You will become the first Xingese woman to belong to the Amestrain royal family! It is what we have worked so long for! For you to rise to a position of power!"

"But Mother… what about Prince Ling?"

"That idiot Prince? He's long since moved on; you have no hope of a future as the Empress. It's time to give up there. This! This could be your future!"

"… I don't believe that the Prince in a lost cause. I could still try, Mother! Last night he was treating me the same way as he always has, is that not a good sign?"

"Stupid. How had he always treated you. A friend. Nothing more than an old playing partner and nothing more. You are nothing to him and it's time to move on to more likely opportunity!"

"But Moth—"

"That is enough. I am going to do all the digging I can and tell you exactly what to do. You will do this, Lan Fan." Daiyu glared at her daughter until Lan Fan finally bowed her head to the sheets.

"Yes, Mother."

"Good."

Daiyu stalked out of the room, back straight and nose held high. As soon as she was gone, Lan Fan screamed and threw the knife under her pillow at the door, where it stuck, quivering.

"Lan Fan…"

"Go away Chang!" she shouted, while small streams of liquid started to fall down her face. Mei felt the familiar anger well up inside of her and she nodded.

"Fine. I will."

And she walked out of the door and closed it behind her.

* * *

"So are you going to do it?"

"Do what?" Mei asked Xiao Mei later. Right now she was struggling to mix a large batch of batter for the expected royal visitors that were going to be stopping by to bring around a shoe. Mei was surprised that the slipper hadn't disappeared with the rest of her clothes last night. She even still had the other one. Xiao Mei couldn't come up with an explanation other than "It's magic, girly. The rules don't always apply to themselves," either.

"Claim your rightful place, of course! You're the one he's looking for. You spent a lot of time with him. You and him left for the garden and he never came back, probably because he was so upset about you running away. He has your shoe and he is looking for you! Come on! This is your chance to get out of this hole!"

"No, I'm not," she informed the disguised fairy firmly.

"What!"

"I have no intention whatsoever of trying to prove to Prince Alphonse that I am the girl he met last night."

"Why on earth not! You like him don't you?"

"Because," Mei grunted, as she tried to balance the giant bowl of dough and the measuring cup of oil she needed to add. "Last night he said point blank that half of the reason he was at the ball was so that he could find a Xingese woman to marry so that they could strengthen ties between the countries."

"So?"

"For one thing, I'm not nearly important enough to actually be of much use. Father was… what? A bastard fifth grandson of the Emperor? Stepmother didn't realize exactly how low he was when she married him. My position is even lower because I am his daughter. Offspring and female. Not to mention that I've never spent a day in court. For a second, he was charming, yes. But I want more in life than marrying a man I knew for a few hours."

"Then why did you kiss him?" If Xiao Mei were human, her eyebrows would have just shot into her hairline.

"I was going to a ball, I was wearing a mask, and I'm never going to see him again and to be honest, I'm almost twenty and I've never kissed anyone."

"Mhmm. Then why does your heartbeat either stop dead or start pumping at twice its normal rate whenever anyone mentions him? Speaking of which, it seems to be going a little faster than normal right now…"

"You're mistaken," Mei said, blushing as she measured out the oil.

"I've ate, slept, and frozen with you. I'm familiar with your heartbeat and this is much faster than normal. Why don't you want him?"

"I already told you!"

"I want the real reason!"

"No!"

"Please!"

"No!"

"Nice way to treat the person who made it happen…" Mei glared at the panda before pouring as much batter as she could fit into a round tin.

"I think I preferred it before you talked to me."

"Can it. Well, can what you're talking about, spill what I want to know."

Mei sighed heavily. "Fine."

She paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain it. "I don't think I described him properly last night. He is more than just what I said. He's handsome, and charming, and polite, and smart, and frustrating, and clueless, and cooperative, and so kind. And he wasn't even forcing it! You could tell he did it all without a second thought, it was completely natural to him!"

"Seems like a golden boy."

"In more than just that way!" Mei said, smiling widely. "His hair and his eyes, they aren't joking when they say they're gold! Alphonse's are slightly more browning that straight gold, but there's no denying that's their color. And his hair is so bright and styled and perfect and— I knew him for three hours. Probably even less. I walked in the door, he asked me to dance, and I had to run away from him to make sure he didn't see my clothes transform when I left. The entire time I was there I spent it with him and I can't think of a better way to have spent it."

"So tell me again why you don't want to step up and claim that shoe?"

"Because he doesn't care for me as much as I do for him right now. He's only looking for a bride for an alliance. I don't want to be treated like just another requirement. I never want that."

"What if he isn't? What if the rumors are true and he really did fall madly and deeply in love with that masked woman at the ball?" Mei bit her lip.

"I don't know. He probably isn't though, so I don't even have to worry about it."

"Honey, you really like this guy," Xiao Mei said, sounding every inch a concerned mother. "Are you sure you're actually going to be able to forget about him? Especially if he's determined to find you for whatever reason."

"Yes, but you see I'm—"

"Mei?"

Mei turned towards the door, almost spilling oil everywhere.

"What was that for, Oh Empress?"

Her half-sister looked down at her feet so it was hard for Mei to notice her cheeks turning bright red.

"I... I'm sorry."

This was her second sign that something was out of the ordinary. Lan Fan never said sorry for an insult, she would just hurl one back. And she most certainly didn't look at her feet; Daiyu had taught her quite well that she was too important to look down.

"Lan Fan, what are you doing in here? You never come by the kitchens if you can avoid it."

"I… I wanted to talk to you."

"… Why?" It wasn't possible that she could have figured out, could she? No, that wouldn't have happened. There wasn't any way.

"I have something I want — need — to ask you something. Please."

"Go ahead," Mei said, raising an eyebrow. She honestly had no idea what was going on here.

"While the Princes are here, fitting on the shoe, stay inside the kitchen." She would have responded with an "Okay, fine," but the look on her step-sister's face made her say something else.

"Why should I? Don't I have a chance to try it on?"

"Because… because… I don't want them to meet you."

This threw her for a loop.

"Why?"

"Because you're, you're … beautiful and intelligent and you're exactly… I don't want to… I…" Lan Fan looked miserable. Her hands were clenched by her side and her face was an odd blotchy red color. Mei blinked slowly as a thought occurred to her.

"Lan Fan… are you… scared that they would somehow like me better than you?"

The splotchy color turned full red. Her dark coloring when Mei called her "Empress", her constant attitude towards her…

"That's why all these years? You've been jealous of me?"

"… yes." Suddenly it was like a floodgate had opened. "Always. When Mother first married your father, you were like a perfect china doll and I thought there wasn't anything more perfect than you and I would never be able to be as wonderful as you.

"When your father died and Mother began to treat you like how you are now I didn't mind because I noticed that you weren't quite as pretty, but you were still smarter than I could ever be. And when Ling came here after one day of playing in the mud… he saw you and said 'Who's that maid, Lan Fan? She's really pretty.'"

"I remember that day. It was only a few weeks after I started working. I thought he was the nicest person I had ever met."

"He was. Is. He's ridiculous and nice and he can never seem to tell between what's proper and what's not, but he never has a problem with right and wrong." Lan Fan was wearing a small sad smile that Mei recognized. She recognized it from her own expressions.

"You… you love him. Prince Ling. You're in love with the future ruler. And all these years I just thought it was a play for power."

"Yes."

"So why are you doing this? Why are you trying to convince Prince Alphonse that you're—" she had to stop herself from saying "that you're me." "—the women he met. Shouldn't you be trying to convince Prince Ling that he loves you?"

"Mother doesn't feel that way…"

"Who cares?"

Lan Fan looked genuinely shocked. "What?"

"Who cares? I will make a promise with you right here and now, I will not stay in this room if you continue to just lie down and do something like this! What if he believes you?" He wouldn't. "You would be left with this man who you don't love when you could be with one you do!"

"Do you think?"

"Yes!"

Lan Fan stared at her step-sister for a few moments like she thought she was crazy. Then she nodded, squared her shoulders and turned on her heel. Mei didn't know whether to understand if that was her taking her advice or turning her back on her.

Her parting words gave the answer.

"Thank you, Mei."

* * *

**#americanthatdoesn'tcareaboutthesuperbowl  
#wouldratherdateaficitionacharacterthanafootballplayer  
#wouldratherdatealphonseelricthanafootballplayer  
#alphonselricshouldexistinreallifesoeverygirlcanhaveone  
********#almeiisthebest  
****#loveyouguys  
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****#disownedfrombeingsistersbestfriendtoo  
****#havingfunwithhashtags  
****#imneverusinghashtagsagain  
****#seriouslyreview**


	5. Chapter 5

It had been an hour since the meeting in the kitchen.

True to her word, Mei had stayed in the kitchen the entire time, even when she heard the bell ring and the hustle and bustle as the Princes were escorted through the home.

She even heard her step-mother greet them and tell them that her daughter was the only maiden in the household.

She almost laughed and wondered if Lan Fan would come through on her bargain.

The next thing she heard was much more alarming though.

"I will send a maid up from the kitchens for you."

Then even worse: Prince Ling's happy consent.

"Mei! Mei!" A maid came running through the kitchen at high speed. "They need—!"

"Food, yes I know," Mei said irritably, grabbing some ingredients and starting to throw together an acceptable sauce to add to this morning's batch of dumplings.

"No, Miss Mei! Miss Shitang requested you be the one to take them up."

"What?"

"She said you and no one else."

Mei swore in her head.

Mei made sure to keep her head down as she carried the tray of dumplings. She didn't want to betray her promise to Lan Fan but she didn't really have a choice; so she would keep her head down. That also had the effect of not allowing any of the Princes (specifically Alphonse) see her. She knew that her face had actually been covered by a mask during the dance, but she didn't want to take any risks. He could recognize her eyes or something. She also had to make sure she wouldn't have to talk. Just go in, place the tray on the table, curtsey to the Princes, leave.

"I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I am not the maiden you were dancing with, Prince Alphonse. Prince Ling can even attest to that. I spent most of the night with him."

"That's true," another voice said. "We enjoyed quite a few dances."

"I hope you will still stay for a short period of time though," Diayu cut in slyly. She couldn't directly contradict Lan Fan, especially not when the Prince had already supported her statement, but she was still trying to salvage the situation. "There are refreshments coming and you are probably fatigued from so much searching."

"Quite. Not many have the integrity to be as honest as you," said a very familiar voice that forced her heart to skip a beat. Then she walked into the room and the occupants turned to look at her. Step mother was the only exception. She was too busy glaring at her daughter.

"Mei, please put them on the table," Lan Fan said, her voice clipped. Mei nodded and walked in, putting them down on the table in front of her.

"You can look up, you know," a cheerful voice said. It had to be Prince Ling, the Xingese was too natural to be either Amestrian. Not a direct order, but still something she had to obey. So she hesitantly lifted her face, teeth still firmly clamped on her bottom lip. They were all there.

Prince Ling looked very similar to how he had from her memory when Lan Fan would regularly visit him. Now he was dressed less formally then he had been at the ball, but much more formally then when he would be covered in mud and excrement.

Prince Edward looked a great deal like his brother, but his eyes were more pure gold and were much sharper, not as soft. His hair was much longer than Alphonse's, long enough that he had it pulled back in a braid. He was either honoring Xing's custom of wearing red when visiting or he simply liked the color because he was wearing a lot of it.

Alphonse looked a great deal how she remembered him. Gold hair fringing his face and soft golden eyes staring out. Last night he looked a little tired, but his eyes had lit up like lanterns when they had really started discussing alkahestry. Today though they were only tired. His clothing was more subdued than last night, but they still did a brilliant job of showing off his brilliant physique.

"Your Majesties," she said as quietly as she could. Barely loud enough for them to hear her.

All three of them nodded at her.

"You didn't happen to go to the ball last night, would you?" Prince Ling asked her in the same happy voice. She wondered if he was that happy at all the other houses, or if he was acting like that because of Lan Fan. She certainly hoped that was the reason.

"I'm afraid not, Young Lord," Lan Fan answered for her.

"Well, that stinks." Was it her imagination or was Alphonse staring at her?

"I will return to the kitchen," she said, curtseying again. As she turned to walk back though, she tripped and one of her small black shoes came off her foot. Blushing bright red, Mei got up off her knees and hurried over to grab the shoe, but someone beat her to it. A blond.

"Allow me," Alphonse said. Mei held out her hand for the shoe and he held out for her foot. A small feeling of dread began in her stomach.

"No, really, Prince Alphonse you don't have to—"

"Please, allow me."

She lifted her skirts just high enough for her bare foot to peak out from under them.

Instead of slipping on her black shoe, he put on her glass one.

It fit on perfectly, of course.

She heard all of the room's other occupants gasp.

Al didn't, just looked up at her.

"I knew it as soon as you bit your lip and blushed," he said, smiling. He stood up right in front of her. Mei wanted to run but her legs weren't working. He was right there in front of her.

"Why were you trying to hide?"

Mei bit her lip again and he laughed.

"I don't think you realize how cute you look when you bite your lip."

Mei looked around him at the rest of the people in the room. Daiyu was standing, mouth opened in almost uncontrolled rage. Lan Fan and Ling were staring in shock and surprise, while Edward just looked slightly bored.

Alphonse grabbed one of her hands and smiled. "I've been looking for you." Her heart couldn't seem to make up its mind, whether it would like to stop dead in fright or beat a thousand times a second of happiness.

"I've heard."

"Did you also hear why I was looking for you?" Mei swallowed.

"Your father wants you to marry a Xingese bride to strengthen ties between our countries. I'm the only person at the ball you could stand talking to for longer than five minutes. So, well I'm flattered, I don't want to be treated like just another goal to be taken care of, so if you'll excuse me."

Mei turned around to storm away into the kitchen, yelling at herself for having to hold back tears. Stop it! You knew him for only a few hours. He knew you for the same amount of time, there is no reason to be so effected by turning him down. But then she felt his hand shoot out and close around her arm, exactly how it had last night.

"Wait!"

His eyes were wide and almost pleading.

"Please don't go. I hadn't even thought about Father's orders. I could only think about you. I have never, ever, met a girl like you. You're smart and sharp. You're adorable when you bite your lip, that blush is the cutest I've ever seen. You light up when you talk about alkahestry and when you were yelling at me… I could only think about finding you when you ran off."

Would her heart please stop! They were pretty words designed to make her try to make her go along with what he wanted.

"Thanks for the pretty words, but—"

Her words were cut off when his lips met hers. It wasn't like last time when she had simply pressed hers against him and ran away. That had been a spur of the moment wish, something irrational and she hadn't even fully understood what she was doing until she had gotten home.

This was different though, she could feel his purpose and intent. She should pull away, she knew she should, he wasn't even stopping her doing so, but she just couldn't. He seemed to take that as a sign and put his hand behind her head.

He pulled away but didn't step back so their faces were still close together.

"You may not believe in true love, and you may not believe me when I say this, but I think I've found mine."

It was like he turned on a faucet.

"I cannot stand for this!" Daiyu shouted, finally regaining her voice. Mei looked over at her step mother and Al wrapped his arms protectively around her. "This girl is nothing but a servant in my household, a scullery maid! She will not be marrying anyone, I will not allow you—"

"Madam!" This time it was Ling who was speaking. "You are addressing the Prince Alphonse Elric of Amestris in the presence of the crown Princes of both Xing and Amestris. We will not stand for you to speak so. You may be this girl's guardian but that does not mean you get to make her decisions."

"But Your Highness—"

"I will not tolerate this behavior in my Kingdom. If it were not for the fact that you are Lan Fan's mother I would have you exiled on the spot for various causes of neglect and speaking badly to your Prince! I could also charge you with purposefully trying to destroy a long up-held alliance between Xing and Amestris. Only your daughter's good grace is saving you."

"I wouldn't mind," Lan Fan said, so quietly Mei thought she misheard her.

"What!" Daiyu screamed.

Lan Fan stared down at her hands. Everyone was staring at her, including Mei. Then she looked up directly at her mother.

"You've never loved me. You've never respected anything I did or said. I have never done anything for myself and this time I am stepping up and saying something. Even if Prince Alphonse had not just found his love in Mei, someone who I've always loved and respected but you've made me treat horribly, I would not sit here and try to pretend to be the woman he had met because I love Prince Ling and I have since we were children and I'm tired of you trying to always use me to further your own gain!"

Then she stopped and seemed to realize that she had just confessed love for the Prince of Xing in front of not only the whole room, but in front of the Prince of Xing.

"Well I think that settles it," Ling said in an odd voice. "Daiyu Shitang, you are hereby banished from the Xing Providence, never to come within five hundred yards of any of the royal family nor you daughter or step-daughter on pain of death. You will not be keeping your title, but you may keep enough of your current possessions to make a living elsewhere."

"You cannot do this!" she screamed. "I am a—"

"Newsflash: I don't care."

They had a silent glaring contest, but after thirty seconds Daiyu let out a strangled sob and ran over to an ornate vase that stood in the hallway and stuffed one of their silk curtains into it. Then she ran away upstairs.

"Despicable," Edward said, speaking for the first time. "She doesn't say anything to her daughters. I can't stand negligible parents."

"Thank you," Ling said, addressing Lan Fan, who was staring down at her hands again. "I've been wanting to do something horrible to that old hag for ages." When she didn't reply, the grin that had just graced his face fell away. "I'm sorry, that was improper, she is your mother."

"That's something new," she said quietly. "You admitting something is improper before me."

"That's the Lan Fan I know," he said, laughing. "She's the one I'm in love with." He only laughed harder when she lifted her head, eyes wide.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Heart and soul. That's why I never liked your mother, she was always trying to change you into someone that would be proper for a young Prince to like. I liked you the way you are. I've actually been wanting to say this for a while."

"But what about the Elders, and the peace treaty between the clans—"

Then he said told Elders to do something that was very impolite.

Lan Fan's mouth fell in shock and disbelief before clamping shut firmly.

"You cannot actually mean that…"

"Well, not exactly that, no. But if they don't like it, they can just deal with it. Even my father likes you! My father doesn't like anyone! I don't even think he likes me!"

"I suppose, as long as we already have two other people confessing, it's a good time for me to say that I've asked Winry to marry me," Edward said suddenly. Ling and Alphonse both stared at him, then had a mixed sort of reaction. Al just started laughing and Ling started asking him what he was thinking.

"I was thinking that I love her and Al's going to marry… uh… Mei? So I don't have to make any marital vows with a Xingese woman. There's no reason not to."

"When did I say I was going to marry him?" Mei said softly. Alphonse let go of her and took a step back.

"You won't?" He looked so heartbroken she surprised herself by not automatically saying "Psych! I will!"

"I don't know you… not really. Why should I?" There was silence in the room for a moment as everyone stared at her.

"Mei…" Lan Fan said quietly. Mei just shook her head at her step-sister.

"One year."

"What?" The Amestrian's words confused her. One year what?

"At the ball. I was asking you to try—" he put heavy emphasis on the 'try', "to teach my alkahestry. You said you wouldn't be able to get me to understand _qi _in a year. Try to. You spend one year teaching me everything you know about _qi_, about the Dragon's Pulse, about alkahestry… at the end of the year I will ask you to marry me again. If you say yes we'll be married and I'll be the happiest man you've ever met. If you say no, I'll give you everything you need to do whatever you want to do. Deal?"

There was silence for a few moments as she considered his proposition.

He shouted loudly and hugged her when she said yes.

* * *

**So, this is basically the end. It's not one of those Cinderella stories where they get together and then more bad stuff happens... this is pretty much it. There is however an Epilogue that takes place little more than a year later. Instead of making you guys wait till next Sunday, I'm just going to upload that on Valentine's day and the first chapter of Refuge From Darkness can go up next Sunday. **

**I love you all! Please review :)**


	6. Epilogue

**Really super short, but hey it is an epilogue.**

**Takes place a year after the last chapter**

* * *

Mei hugged her step-sister warmly. The new Empress smiled and hugged her back.

"You look wonderful, Mei!"

"So do you, Empress. How far along are you?" Mei asked, pulling away and staring pointedly at the bump that was slowly becoming visible beneath Lan Fan's robes.

"About four months. The midwives predict that he will be born in September."

"I'm so happy for you," Mei said honestly. The past year and half had done wonders for her and Lan Fan's relationship.

"And how are you an Alphonse? How have things been going?"

"Well the wedding planning didn't kill us. That was something we were both worried about. You would not believe how much coordinating had to be done to pull something like this together."

It hadn't even taken the full year for Mei to realize that she loved the Amestrian Prince just as, if not more, fully as he loved her. She had begged him to marry her in the ninth month of their time together and he had responded by kissing her like she had never been kissed before. The announcements were made that day and the wedding planning had begun. Now, three months of brutal planning later, they were getting married.

"I think I have an idea. It's not easy to arrange an Imperial Wedding after all."

"Yes, but at least you had a set location at the palace and only one country to invite."

"I would have thought that Amestris would have gotten priority in the wedding. He is their Prince."

"Yes, but I'm a Princess now, remember?" Lan Fan blinked once before nodded.

"Right. I had forgotten."

During the preparations for the wedding, Ling noticed a particular name on Mei's birth certificate. Her father, who she had always known to be a bastard son of a fifth generation posterity of an Emperor, was actually none other than the Emperor's brother, who had run from the palace life after his wife was killed in an assassination attempt, leaving him with only his daughter. Mei was sure that Daiyu had never known that, or she would have most certainly used it to her advantage.

Mei was hailed as a long lost niece of the Emperor and was everything they needed to permanently seal ties between the two countries of Xing and Amestris.

"It's hard for me to get used to, too," Mei said, sheepish. "Especially considering the way Step-mother used to treat me. She would haven't have dared done that if she had known."

"She would have used that to her best advantage if she had known."

"She would have. Have you… have you heard anything from her since?"

Lan Fan shook her head. "No. I haven't heard anything about her since that day. Ling did order that she'd be punished by death if she were to ever try to contact us again."

"You're right. I had forgotten that… Al was so mad when he found out the full extent of what she had done to me." He had been almost terrifying at first. She loves Al for his sweet temper and kindness, but when she had described her near servitude at the hands of her step-mother there had been a fire behind his gold eyes that almost made Mei shudder. He had also been mad at Lan Fan, but Mei had made him calm down after explaining the situation. While she couldn't say her step-sister had pure intentions, in fact far from, she had forgiven her. Not doing so would only be a burden later on in life. Especially since she was her cousin-in-law now.

"Yes… He is a wonderful man, Mei."

"He is. I love him. I really do."

"That's wonderful. You deserve him." Mei smiled at her step-sister.

"Thank you, Lan Fan… I would say you deserve Ling but that seems like more of an insult than a compliment." The Empress smiled and Mei laughed.

"Speaking of my cousin, do you know where Ling went? I still need to say hello to him."

"I do no—"

Then a blond came hurtling around the corner. His eyes locked onto Mei and he strode directly over to her, almost running.

"Would you like to dance?"

"What? Al—"

"Wonderful!" Then he grabbed her hand and waist and began to lead her in a spirited and lively dance away from the approaching Xingese Emperor who stared angrily at his friend before wrapping an arm around his wife's waist.

"Close call?" Mei asked, with a raised eyebrow as he twirled her under his arm down the hallway.

"Very close. I was half afraid he was going to start shoving photographs under my nose and make me eat them." Mei laughed and he did too.

"I'm serious!" he protested as they disappeared around a corner and stopped dancing, though he kept his hands around her waist. "I could have choked on them and would have missed my own wedding."

"We wouldn't that, now would we?"

He grinned. "No, no we wouldn't. I would want to deprive my fiancé of the chance to become Mrs. Elric."

"Your fiancé wouldn't want to be deprived of the chance."

"Good," he answered, bending down to kiss her. Mei smiled against his lips before kissing him back.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" he asked, his face when he pulled away serious. Mei cocked her head to the side. "Are you read to get married?"

"Am I ready to live happily ever after?"

He smiled at her.

"Yes. Are you ready to live happily ever after with me, Mei Chang?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Happily Ever After it is, then."

* * *

**Happy cute OTP fanfic day! Refuge From Darkness to go up on Sunday! I am also trying to get a LingFan fic up for Valentine's day if anyone's interested**


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